Questing fleets
"In a way, questing fleets show just how much civilization has advanced. Previously, heroes had to face monsters with lances and swords. Now though? They can shell monsters with ship batteries miles away without ever suffering a scratch" -Thadrakos mecenas Iliran, the "Great Sybarite"- Questing fleets is the most common term used to speak of those groups of ships, big or small, that travel across different systems in search of a particular spacebound monster of creature. Some are funded and equipmen by the realm they come from, while others follow the strict orders of a particular individual or organization. Because of this, not two questing fleets are alike, including to the way they behave towards the people of those territories they pass through during their quesst. Due to their irregular nature, the ships which make a questing fleet seldom stick together after the monster they have been hunting for is slain. Very few are permanent organizations, their only duty being making sure no monster from the void ever preys on their people. After all, the galaxy is a dangerous place, full of things which will not think twice before destroying an oblivious traveler or unlucky merchant. At those times, few sights are more welcomed than the arrival of a questing fleet, their guns aimed and ready to end the life of yet another beast from the depths of space. Famous questing fleets and captains One must always remember not all questing fleets name themselves that way. In the Kingdom of Yadra, they were named "Demon Slayers", as the first explorers considered spacebound creatures to be the demons described in their legends. Thadrakos mecenas can also be considered as such sometimes, only they often rather hunt for works of art than dangerous beasts which may destroy their valuable ships. Scholars often debate wether all fleets which face monsters should be considered questing fleets. Task Force Manticore for instance has faced and defeated a number of spacebound creatures, including the infamous Wraith of Fulaz. Even so, in some cases the fleet was not actively trying to hunt down these "monsters", but focusing on destryong them before they could cause to much damage in Commonwealth territory. Great Slayers -Satayesh Ibrahim: While she would never consider herself or her fleet a questing armada, the truth is Task Force Manticore has faced more than a few spacebound creatures during her command. -Drizz'Darden: An important noble in the Kingdom of Yadra, his exploits have become the stuff of legend amongst Karthemas. Facing everything from crystal monsters to beings of pure light, Drizz'Darden soon left the Galactic East to try his luck in the North. Only several decades later did his surviving family learn of what had happened to him and his fleet: He met the Dyss. -Umaruu: An Udkavongo captain not happy with the rise of her nation's Military Commisariat, Umaruu took her small fleet to the realm's borders and began to hunt down pirates and creatures trying to take advantage of the weakness of the Udkavongo after their war against the Biluan mind. Relentless and ready to risk her life to save even the most remote of outposts, Umaruu has become a beloved hero amongst most Udkavongo, to the point where the new government cannot risk imprisoning her for refusing to obey their orders. Beasts of Legend -The Wraith of Fulaz: The scourge of many systems, including a long list of bases and ships in the realm of the Thadrakos families, this wraith had a list of victims easily surpassing the million. A number of questing fleets tried to stop it, only to be forced back or destroyed by the monster's firepower, their answering shots useless as the creature regenerated with ease.The creature was killed in 28/11/2300 at the hands of Task Force Manticore. -The Gate Guardian: A Dimensional Horror of immense proportions, this beast inhabited the area closest to the heart of the galaxy, its home being the same system inhabited by a black hole. A fleet belonging to the Sil family faced the creature in 2278, eager to test their worth and gain access to the rich mineral deposits in nearby planets. The fate of this fleet, and the guardian itself, is still unknown. Category:Independent Organizations and irregular bands